Tuesday, 4 October 2016

Today the Australian Rugby League team was selected for
the Four Nations tournament, with two notable omissions, Andrew Fifita, who was
near best on field in the Grand Final and Semi Radradra.

The reason given is that both players have tarnished
records off the field. Todd Greenberg stated today during the team announcement
regarding Fifita, “selection for the Australian team requires standards on and
off the field and as he is currently under investigation by the Integrity Unit,
we believe he still has some way to go to meet those off field standards.”

He went on to say that, “we believe that to wear the
Australian jersey, the most prestigious jersey in our game, you should have to
distinguish yourself both on and off the field.”

Firstly, I want to say that I fully agree with Greenberg’s
statement. We should have only the best role models wearing our national
colours. You are on the world stage and you should be a prime example to all
people everywhere to earn that jumper, so as to set the best possible example
for every child out there who wishes to wear that jumper in the future.

Fifita was handed a paltry $30,000 fine and a one year
ban from the Penrith District Junior Rugby League and a six week suspension from
the NRL for abusing a referee. This year he landed in hot water again for
publicly showing support for convicted one punch killer Keiran Loveridge.

Meanwhile Semi Radradra has been charged with two counts
of common assault and one count of causing actual bodily harm to his then
partner, which he has pleaded not guilty to.

The problem with the decision to prevent these two from
playing, based on the grounds of their off field indiscretions, is that it’s
not a rule that has been applied to all players.

Blake Ferguson was found guilty of indecently assaulting
a woman in 2013 and handed a two year good behaviour bond. He was selected in
the Kangaroo’s squad today.

Darius Boyd inflicted over $1500 worth of damages to a
hotel room that he single-handedly trashed before admitting himself to rehab.
He paid for the damages he caused. He was selected in the Kangaroo’s squad
today.

Josh Dugan was sacked by his former club for a string of
off-field incidents, most notably binge drinking with Blake Ferguson instead of
attending a recovery session. He was selected in the Kangaroo’s squad today.

Sam Thaiday was one of three players who was punished by
his club Brisbane, for his alleged involvement in sexual acts and the
unauthorised recording of them in the 2008 off-season. The Broncos fined him
$20,000, while he lost a third party sponsorship deal worth around the same
amount as well. He also had to attend counselling. He was selected in the
Kangaroo’s squad today.

Greg Inglis was even charged with assault but the charges
were later dropped. He accepted to undergo a diversion order that meant he had
to attend a behavioural change program and pay a fine of $3,000 to a women’s
health service. He was selected in the Kangaroo’s squad today.

If the NRL want to be serious about this, and they most
certainly should be because they are most definitely taking the right stance,
then it should apply to all players. Anything less is only a mockery of the
game and makes team selections and omissions farcical.

Worse still, it provides grounds that can justify the
inclusion of players whose off-field demeanour should prevent them from ever
being selected. That is what this rule should set out to achieve, but today, it
has failed itself.

Wednesday, 21 September 2016

While the legacy of the great Dally “The Master”
Messenger has endured the tests of time, and rightfully so, there was
another great pioneering centre who many argue was as good as Dally.

Jim Devereux.

The son of Irish immigrants, James Devereux was born in 1885 in the
Northern NSW town of Tenterfield. He had an elder brother, Phillip,
three years his senior, who was born in nearby Armidale.

Phillip stayed in the area before eventually moving further north, while
James moved in the opposite direction to Sydney, where he played lower
grade Rugby Union in the North Sydney competition, before making his
debut in their first grade side in 1906, shortly after turning 21.

The following season, Jim watched on as a rebel New South Wales outfit
took on a professional New Zealand visiting side who were en-route to
England to play against the rebel Northern Union sides.

The hosts lost the first game in a close battle. A number of changes to
the NSW line-up were made for the second game, with Devereux getting
called up to play on the wing in what would be his first representative
jumper in just his second year of top grade Rugby.

The Kiwis were again too good in game two, but Devereux impressed,
dubbed in the press as the “hero of the day,” to retain his place in the
third match, which was another hard fought victory to New Zealand.

Three weeks later, Devereux, along with all the other men who played for
New South Wales in the three games against the professional New Zealand
side, were handed life bans from the Metropolitan Rugby Union.

During the summer of 1907/08, 8 MRU clubs decided to break away and form
their own competition, playing Northern Union rules. One of those clubs
was Devereux’s own North Sydney, who on February 7, 1908, officially
became a Rugby League club, with Jimmy elected as a committee member at
the inaugural meeting for the iconic club.

After a strong start to the inaugural 1908 Rugby League season, Devereux
was selected at centre, alongside Dally Messenger, for New South Wales
against the returning New Zealand side in 2 games before earning a place
at centre alongside Messenger in Australia’s first ever Rugby League
game and Test, against New Zealand. Despite the narrow loss, Jim was
retained for the second test before being moved to the wing for the
third.

Devereux’s form saw him earn a place in the Pioneering Kangaroo tour of
1908-09 to England, where he became the first player to score a try in
Tests between Australia and Great Britain, when he crossed for the first
of 3 tries in the first test played in London.

Team mate Tom McCabe described one of those tries:

He raced for the corner, finding no opening in that direction he wheeled
almost at right angles, and beat man after man, and scored between the
posts.

Devereux played in 2 of the 3 tests against Great Britain and a mammoth
31 games on the tour, with a total of 17 tries, more than anyone else in
the squad.

Another team mate, Peter Moir, revealed in a letter to the Evening News that “Devereux (was) the champion three-quarter.”

Harry Dannatt, a director on the board (and former president) of the
Hull Rugby League club managed to secure the services of Devereux and
his North Sydney colleague Sid Deane for “a fair price” at the
conclusion of the tour in 1909.

Devereux played in 4 games for Hull at the end of the 1908-09 season
before staying on for the following season which saw him picked in the
York representative team. Hull made it to the final of the 1909-10
Challenge Cup against Leeds which ended in a 7 all draw. Devereux lined
up for Hull in the replay just two days later, however Leeds were too
strong, running out 26-12 victors.

Jimmy played the first half of the 1910-11 season with Hull before
deciding to head back to Australia, accompanying the 1910 Great Britain
touring side. He again turned out for North Sydney in just two matches
before returning with the British tourists to Hull.

After making a good start to the 1911-12 season, Devereux suffered a
series of injuries which hampered him for the rest of the season. He
again returned to Australia, this time sharing the ship with the
returning 1911-12 Kangaroos, who had just completed a successful tour of
Great Britain. Once in Sydney, he played the last 5 games of the year
for North Sydney.

1913 saw Devereux earn selection for New South Wales for the first time
in 5 years. He played in two games against the visiting New Zealand
side, with the hosts winning both games. He then set sail for England
yet again.

Once back in England, Jim again played for Hull, playing a starring role
in their 1913-14 Challenge Cup victory over Wakefield Trinity, despite
playing out of position at halfback.

Devereux scored an impressive 21 tries in just 19 games for Hull in the
1914-15 season before the outbreak of war. Devereux enlisted with the
British Army in 1916, earning himself selection in an Australasian
Servicemen Rugby Union team later that year. Devereux rose to the rank
of Lance Corporal. At the conclusion of the war, he married Daisy Heath,
a local lady whom he had known prior to enlisting.

Hull won their first ever Championship in the 1919-20 season in a hard
fought 3-2 victory over the mighty Huddersfield side. Hull won
back-to-back Championships when they defeat nearby rivals Hull Kingston
Rovers 16-14, in a match which saw Devereux score the match winning try.

Devereux and his wife travelled to Australia in 1921, where Jim again
made himself available to play for North Sydney, but was unable to break
into the all-star backline of Blinkhorn, Peters, Rule and Horder, thus
only appeared in 3 games in reserve grade, before retiring from the
game.

Jim took on the role of coach of the back-to-back premiers North Sydney
in the 1923 season. With his side sitting third and only a slight hope
of reaching the final two, the club suffered a cruel setback when
legendary halfback Duncan Thompson was wrongly suspended for kicking a
player. Thompson was aghast at the accusation and sentence that he vowed
never to return to Sydney again. Norths lost all of their remaining
games.

Devereux’s team slid again in the shortened 1924 season, winning just 3
of their 8 games and finishing second last. They turned their fortunes
around in 1925, running second to the dominant South Sydney outfit right
up until the last round, where a loss to Western Suburbs saw them
finish the season in fourth.

Jimmy retired from coaching at the end of the 1925 season and went to
work on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. On December 3, 1929 he suffered
horrific injuries when he was struck by a 35 ton girder that had fallen
off a truck. He suffered fractures to his pelvis, left shoulder and
right leg, as well as receiving severe head injuries. He miraculously
survived, however he had the lower half of his right leg amputated.

Unable to work, the disability and accompanying medical costs almost
forced Devereux and his wife into destitution. In 1932, upon learning of
the despair of Jimmy, his old club North Sydney donated £50 to help him
out. After amassing nearly £500 in medical costs and unable to earn any
money, the donation was gratefully accepted. However it wasn’t enough
and before the end of the year, he sold his house and decided to return
to England with his wife to live a more relaxed life, in an attempt to
get away from the hardships that had befallen him since his accident.

Sadly, he passed away just two years later.

He was made an honorary life member of the New South Wales Rugby League
in 1914 and was named in the North Sydney Team of the Century in 2008.

Despite weighing just 60kgs, Devereux was described as “an aggressive centre in every sense of the term” by Tom McCabe.

He was fast and agile with a big side-step, was a ruthless tackler and a
smart ball-player with great hands. He was constantly regarded as one
of the best three-quarters in the world during his time as a player,
some even suggesting he was better than Messenger.

Sunday, 18 September 2016

Last year the English Superleague competition cut its
competing number of teams down from 14 to 12 and reduced the regular season
from 27 games to 23. But they came up with a bold new concept to make up for
the missing games and called it Super 8’s.

The top 8 sides at the end of the regular season would
play every other top 8 side once more, thus creating an extra seven games. The
competition points they accrued in the regular season would remain and for the
Super 8’s and teams would be playing to accrue enough points to reach the top
four after the Super 8’s had ended, so they could then play in the finals to
determine the Champion side.

The problem with this concept is that it’s stupid. In the
two seasons that it has been in place, the eighth placed side has had to
somehow win at least 4 games more than the fourth placed side, just to match
them on points. While it is a possibility, it’s a very slim one given their
only opponents are all sides better than them.In 2015 the Super 8’s confirmed that the top 4 sides after the regular
season were still the top 4 sides after Super 8’s. In 2016 the exact same thing
has happened again.

This raises the question; why have the Super 8’s? Why not
go straight into the finals and save the players bodies?

Furthermore, with 12 teams competing, why have 23 rounds.
It means one team will have to play another three times in the regular season.
It’s just nonsense and not a fair system at all. The competition would be
better served by having 22 Rounds and a top 5 finals series.

Given that Rugby League in England on a weekly basis
doesn’t draw large crowds, flooding the market with more of the product only
serves to devalue it further and at the risk of shortening player’s careers. In
short, longer seasons are doing more harm than good for the game.

This Super 8’s concept is also used in a slightly
modified manner to determine which teams are relegated and promoted across
divisions. Again this is unnecessary. Why not have the bottom four sides of the
higher division play the top 4 of the lower, with all games elimination matches.

For example:

Superleague 12th v Championship 1st

Superleague 11th v Championship 2nd

Superleague 10th v Championship 3rd

Superleague 9th v Championship 4th

When you consider that all these teams also compete in
the Challenge Cup competition, which can see some sides playing 3 or 4 games as
well, the toll on players and clubs starts to become absurd.

If a top side in the Superleague played in the Grand Final
and the Challenge Cup Final they would play 23 regular season games, 7 Super 8’s
games, 2 finals, 4 Challenge Cup and 1 World Club Challenge game for a total of
37 games. That is simply excessive and absurd.

The game needs to find a way to ensure that the dramas
that have besieged once great sides like Bradford don’t become commonplace.
Cutting down in the number of games will go a long way to alleviating some of
those concerns, not to mention reducing the impact on players and would make
the game a slightly more rare treat which would have a positive effect on crowd
figures.

Saturday, 10 September 2016

The Titans have all but fallen into the finals on the
very last day of competition, but not entirely through their own good work.
However, of the last three sides vying for the last place in the top 8, the
Titans were arguably the most consistent and deserving.

Why They Can
Win

The Underdog Tag – The Titans play a relatively simple
and composed style of football. They are a patient side who aren’t afraid to
work hard. Because they’ve only just snuck into the top 8, they will be seen as
the weakest link and easy beats, compared to the other 7 sides. Complacency is
a killer in finals football, and the Titans are a side who do make the most of
opportunities provided from teams not taking them seriously.

Why They Can’t

Form. The Titans have just 2 wins and a draw from the 11
games they’ve played against the seven teams above them on the ladder. They
beat Canberra back in Round 4 when the Raiders were very inconsistent, and a
four point win over Penrith in Round 11. They pulled off a hard fought and very
impressive 18 all draw with then competition leaders Cronulla, who had won 15
straight games prior to that game. Since that game though, they have struggled,
winning 2 of 5 games, against the Tigers by 1 point and the last placed
Newcastle by 20.

Key Player

Ashley Taylor. The rookie halfback has been nothing short
of impressive this year. Thrown in the deep end at the start of the season when
first choice half Kane Elgey suffered a season ending knee injury before their
first game, the young half has improved immensely this year and has steered his
side around the park very well. He has formed a good combination with new
recruit Tyrone Roberts.

Squad Health

The Titans have a few injuries to key playmakers, however
some of them have been missing all year and they have managed to reach the
finals largely without them. Nathan Davis (leg), Kane Elgey (knee), Karl Lawton
(leg), Daniel Mortimer (hamstring) and Matt Srama (knee) are all out for the
season.

Finals Record

The Titans have only appeared in 4 finals matches to
date, losing two games in the 2009 series. They last appeared in the 2010
series where they won their opening game against the Warriors before losing
their last finals game to the Roosters.

Run Home

The Titans come up against Brisbane on Friday night to
open the finals series. Their record against the Broncos is very poor, having
won just 5 of their 20 clashes. It’s even worse when playing at Suncorp, where
despite winning their first game against the Broncos there, they have lost the
last nine straight, with the last seven losses all being by a margin of at
least 14 points.

The Panthers boast the second youngest side in the
competition this year (behind only the last placed Knights) and had an
inconsistent season up until Round 19 when their win against rivals Parramatta
was the start of a strong surge towards the finals which has seen them clinch
seventh position and qualify for the finals.

Why They Can
Win

Utility Value. The Panthers have had arguably the most
disruptive season to their spine of all clubs this year. They’ve used 4
different fullbacks, 5 five-eighths, 3 halfbacks and 4 hookers. Since they
finally found a combination that worked, they have won 6 of their last 7 games.
They boast some of the best young talent in the game who are very versatile
players, headed by Bryce Cartwright, they also have Tyrone Peachey, James
Fisher-Harris, Zak Hardaker and Matt Moylan.

Why They Can’t

Inexperience. Just 4 members of their current squad are
aged older than 26, with Peter Wallace the only player in his 30’s (he turns 31
in October). Nathan Cleary is only 18 yet has had a stellar season at halfback.
His five-eighth is the supremely talented 21 year old Bryce Cartwright. Such
inexperience in the vital playmaking positions is their biggest hurdle in the
most vital area.

Key Player

Bryce Cartwright. The youngster is a back rower who has
really found himself at home at five-eighth. He runs straight and hard when he
needs to, but has the deft passing game required of any genuinely talented
five-eighth. He has also helped to sure up the Panthers edge defence. 10 of
their first 16 games saw the Panthers concede 20 points or more. The most
they’ve conceded in the last 7 games is 20 points against the Warriors.

Squad Health

Penrith have been without their starting centres for most
of the year. Dean Whare and Peta Hiku both suffered season ending knee
injuries. Front rower Sam McKendry is also out for the rest of the year with a
knee injury while last weekend saw talented young back-rower Reagan
Campbell-Gillard cop a heavy knock which has broken two discs in his back.

Finals Record

The Panthers have played 21 finals matches. They have won
10 and lost eleven. This year is just their third finals appearance since 2004.
In 2010 they lost both matches and in 2014 the beat the Roosters first up
before going down to the Bulldogs 18-12 the following week in what is their
last finals performance.

Run Home

Penrith play the last game of Round 26 against the 12th
placed Manly who have lost their last four straight games now. If the Bulldogs
lose to Souths and the Panthers beat Manly, Penrith are a strong chance of
finishing sixth on the ladder.

The Newcastle Knights have endured a horror season, but have seemingly been
given a free ride from the media. They have been severely hampered financially,
which – along with poor salary-cap management – impacted their recruitment.

This has seen a dearth of established talent available at the club, coupled
with a horror injury toll and woeful form of experienced players, forcing new
coach Nathan Brown to draw upon local juniors. Brown has used 35 players this
year, 16 of whom have played less than 10 games this year.

While these are all legitimate issues, it should not excuse them from
criticism. Western Suburbs Magpies were the laughing stock of the 1998-99
seasons despite suffering many of the same issues.

On win percentage alone, this Newcastle side is the worst since the 1984
Western Suburbs side, who won just one of their 24 games. It ranks the side at
ninth for worst win percentage in a season. Their points difference is
currently the fourth-worst in the game’s history, behind the 1999 Wests side
(-659), the 1982 Canberra team (-593) and the 1935 Bulldogs (-510), but with a
game still to play, this could change.

So just how bad, historically, is this Newcastle outfit?

When compared to every side since 1908 that won three games or less in a year
and calculating the average points difference per game in conjunction with the
win percentage, it is now possible to see.

There have been 108 sides since 1908
that have won three games or less in a season, with seven going through an
entire year winless.

Let’s have a look at the top seven, worst of the worst.

1935 – University – Played 16, Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 16, For 109,
Against 529
The 1935 season is chiefly remembered as Eastern Suburbs superstar Dave
Brown’s season. ‘The Bradman of League’ racked up pointscoring feats never seen
before or since – and poor old University were on the receiving end of his
magnificence. The season started promisingly with a tight five-point loss to
Souths, but it was all downhill from there. The next week Balmain beat them
47-7, and two weeks later, the Dragons won 43-5. Round 5 saw the ‘Students’
square off against Easts, who won 61-5. Rod O’Loan scored 7 tries, Fred Tottey
three and Dave Brown crossed twice. In Round 10 University lost 42-5 to Souths
and their return match against Easts in Round 14 saw Dave Brown score 22 of his
sides points from four tries and five goals in a 40-5 rout. The following week
they lost 45-14 against Wests.

1937 – University – Played 8, Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 8, For 41, Against
309
The Students’ last season was their worst. Thankfully for them, the
shortened season only lasted only eight games. But those eight games probably
felt like an eternity. They lost their first game to Souths 63-0 before having
a bye. In Round 5, University lost 52-5 to the near-unbeatable Easts side and
were probably lucky that score wasn’t vastly worse. They went down 48-3 against
Newtown the next week and a fortnight later were thumped 65-5 by St.George.

1921 – University – Played 8, Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 8, For 82, Against
292
The second season for the Students was just as bad as their first. They
opened the season on the end of a 57-0 flogging from the champion Balmain side.
In Round 4 they went down to Souths 45-7 and followed it up with a 45-16 loss
to Glebe the following week. In the penultimate round, they lost 55-11 to
Easts.

1920 – Annandale – Played 13, Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 13, For 59,
Against 382
The ’Dales last season in the top grade was their second winless season.
They were kept scoreless in 3 of their opening 4 games and managed double
figures just twice in their 13 games. They lost in Round 1 to Glebe 43-0 and
after the opening five rounds had been played, they had scored just five points
and conceded 118. In Round 6 they lost 42-10 against Easts before a return
match against Glebe in Round 10 saw them thumped again 44-11. The following
week Wests belted them 52-3 and their second-last game resulted in a Norths win
by 44-3. Annandale’s last ever game was a 15-0 loss to Easts.

1918 – Annandale – Played 14, Won 0, Drew 0, For 73, Against 316
Annandale’s first winless season wasn’t one full of blowout scorelines, but
it was one where the club averaged barely over one try a game and exactly one
goal per game. In Round 2 they lost 36-15 to Souths and in Round 4 they lost
21-0 to Newtown before Balmain belted them 43-0 the following week. A fortnight
later they lost 42-3 against Wests, followed by a 29-0 loss to Glebe. This
horror period destroyed their season and was the beginning of the end for the
club, who would be dead in two years’ time.

2016 – Newcastle – Played 24, Won 1, Drew 1, Lost 22, For 305,
Against 800
Newcastle has conceded 33.33
points per game, the worst since Souths’ 33.83 in 2004. The Knights have conceded
40 points or more seven times so far, including two 50-plus totals and a
season-high 62 points. They have been held to nil three times and failed to
reach double figures a further four times. The modern game is a vastly more
even competition than those of the past, so to be this far behind the field is
truly woeful.

1966 – Easts – Played 18, Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 18, For 147, Against
346
The last team to go through a season winless, but despite that, the
Tricolours were rarely disgraced by blowout score-lines. A Round 14 loss to
Manly by 53-0 was the only time they conceded more than 35 in a game. Seven of
their 18 games had a margin of less than 10 – but they did lose all 18 games.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS1946 – South Sydney – Played 14, Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 14, For 124,
Against 353: One of the lowest ebbs for the ‘Pride of the League’, the
Rabbitohs were the first of only two sides to go winless in the post-WWII era.

1984 – Western Suburbs – Played 24, Won 1, Drew 0, Lost 23, For 244,
Against 620: Given a stay of execution by the NSWRL to remain in the
premiership, the Ken Gentle-coached Magpies’ only win was a 13-10 defeat of
fellow strugglers Illawarra. Wests leaked 40-plus points on four occasions.

1993 – Gold Coast – Played 22, Won 1, Drew 0, Lost 21, For 229,
Against 572: The last team to win only one game in a season, Wally
Lewis’ Seagulls side managed an upset of Newcastle in Round 6 before losing 16
straight. A 46-0 loss to Manly and a 50-6 defeat in the return clash with the
Knights in the latter rounds capped a diabolical campaign that saw ‘The King’
abdicate.